Unemployment benefits in the District of Columbia
The District of Columbia calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), also called Unemployment Compensation, run by Department of Employment Services, Office of Unemployment Compensation (DOES). You may get up to $444 a week for up to 26 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens DC Networks (Unemployment Insurance Benefits System) on the state's site.
Or call 202-724-7000 · Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. · TTY 202-698-4817
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
You must have been paid at least $1,300 in one quarter of your base period, at least $1,950 in total in at least two quarters, and total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter (or within $70 of that amount).
Law: D.C. Code 51-107(c)
If you quit
If you left your most recent job voluntarily without good cause connected with the work, you are disqualified.
If you were fired
Being fired does not by itself stop benefits.
Law: D.C. Code 51-110(a)-(d); D.C. Code 7 DCMR 311, 312
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
up to $444
- Weeks
Up to 26 weeks
- Waiting week
A waiting week
How to file in the District of Columbia
Apply online at does.dcnetworks.org: choose "Claim Unemployment Benefits," then "File for Benefits," then "File Your Claim Online." You log in with ID.me. DOES no longer takes new claims by phone.
Apply as soon as you are out of work.
What to have ready
- Your Social Security number
- Your most recent employer's name, address, phone number and your dates of employment
- Your Alien Registration Number, if you are not a U.S. citizen
Certify (claim your weeks)
Weekly. Starting the Sunday after you file, certify every week online or by phone at 202-724-7000 (you can also mail the claim form or file at an American Job Center).
Appeal a denial
- Appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings (hearing before an Administrative Law Judge) — 15 calendar days from the date DOES mailed the Claims Examiner's Determination (not the date you received it); if it was not mailed to you or not to your correct address, 15 calendar days from when you actually received it
- Petition for Review in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals — 30 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Most OAH hearings are remote by telephone using Webex; only a phone is needed.
Overpayments and waivers
If you got benefits you were not entitled to, DOES sends a written notice of the amount and the reason.
- Appeal within
- 15 days from the date DOES mailed the overpayment determination
- Fraud penalty
- 15% added when the overpayment is fraud
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: D.C. Code 51-119(d), (e)
Someone filed a claim in your name
If you got a 1099-G or other notice for DC unemployment benefits you did not apply for, call DOES at 1-877-FRAUD-60 (1-877-372-8360) or use DOES's online form to report suspicious unemployment communication. DOES flags the claim for investigation and tells the IRS of any needed changes. DC residents can also report identity theft to the DC Office of the Attorney General at 202-442-9828.
National steps
- Report it to the state where the claim was filed and follow its instructions. Some states ask for a police report or a sworn statement.
- If you got a 1099-G for benefits you did not receive, the state will send a corrected 1099-G. When you file taxes, report only the income you actually received; do not wait for the corrected form.
- Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. Report other identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
- You can also report unemployment identity fraud that happened after March 2020 to the U.S. Department of Justice National Center for Disaster Fraud. You must still report it to the state.
U.S. Department of Labor: report unemployment identity fraud
Free help in the District of Columbia
Legal aid
- Claimant Advocacy Program, Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO (free legal counseling on DC unemployment appeals; listed by OAH) · 202-974-8159
- OAH Resource Center (free help with the hearing process, not legal advice) · 202-442-9094
- Legal Aid DC
Language help
DOES has a Spanish website (DOES en español). The Office of Administrative Hearings provides a free certified interpreter at your hearing on request, and its appeal form comes in English, Spanish and Amharic.
- Office of Administrative Hearings (appeals): 202-442-9094
- Benefit Payment Control (overpayments and waivers): 202-698-5111
- Unemployment fraud hotline (1-877-FRAUD-60): 1-877-372-8360
- American Job Center - Headquarters: 202-724-2337
- American Job Center - Southeast: 202-698-5694
Agency guides and handbooks
- DOES: Unemployment (unemployment.dc.gov)
- DOES: Apply for Benefits
- DOES: Information for Claimants
- DOES: Information on Appeals
- OAH: Unemployment Benefits (hearing guide)
- OAH: Request to Change a Final Order
- DOES en español
The agency's unemployment page (DOES)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in the District of Columbia
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in the District of Columbia
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in the District of Columbia
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in the District of Columbia
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in the District of Columbia
- Appeals go to the Office of Administrative Hearings, a separate agency; you cannot file an appeal at a DOES office (DOES Information on Appeals).
- Since September 4, 2025, you log in to DC Networks and the benefits system with ID.me, and DOES no longer takes new claims by phone (DOES Apply for Benefits).
- DC has no board-level appeal: after the OAH judge's Final Order you can ask the judge to change it, or petition the D.C. Court of Appeals within 30 days (OAH Closed Case Forms).
Changes in 2024–2026
September 2025: ID.me single sign-on for DC Networks and the benefits system; new claims by phone ended. January 31, 2026: DOES waived work search requirements for furloughed federal employees only (administrative issuance). No 2024-2026 changes found to the weekly benefit formula, the $444 maximum, the 26 weeks, the waiting week or the 15-day appeal period.
Questions about unemployment in the District of Columbia
How do I file for unemployment in the District of Columbia?
Apply online at does.dcnetworks.org: choose "Claim Unemployment Benefits," then "File for Benefits," then "File Your Claim Online." You log in with ID.me. DOES no longer takes new claims by phone. You can use a computer at an American Job Center.
How much is the weekly benefit in the District of Columbia?
The weekly benefit is up to $444. Maximum: claims filed on or after January 5, 2020 and still in effect for claims filed now (the DOES Director may recommend a new maximum each calendar year). Your weekly benefit is 1/26 of the wages paid in the quarter of your base period with your highest wages, rounded up to the next dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in the District of Columbia?
Up to 26 weeks. Everyone who qualifies can get up to 26 times their weekly benefit amount during the 52-week benefit year (a standard 26 weeks).
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in the District of Columbia?
Appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings (hearing before an Administrative Law Judge): 15 calendar days from the date DOES mailed the Claims Examiner's Determination (not the date you received it); if it was not mailed to you or not to your correct address, 15 calendar days from when you actually received it. File as early as you can.